Photograph courtesy of Underground Atlanta
ARTlanta is a quarterly column dedicated to celebrating the artists, creatives, and designers who give Atlanta its flavor.
One of my favorite things about the art scene in Atlanta is the tenacity of the artists who call this place home any given day in the city. You’ll see students shooting a music video in a parking garage, or an aspiring director bringing their vision to life in an empty store front. I’ve walked into galleries that were once factories and seen plays performed in the back room of office buildings. I’m not sure who created the term artrepreneur, but it characterizes the Atlanta art scene very well. I am declaring 2024 year the rise of the independent, self-producing artist.
There has always been an independent spirit to artist in Atlanta. When I say independent, I’m not referring to a selfish, go-it-alone mentality, but more of the idea that you don’t have to wait for a producer. One of my favorite quotes from author Marianne Williamson is, “Stop waiting for a producer. Produce yourself.” Atlanta artists have had this approach to art making and creative collaboration for years.
Part of that independence is necessitated by the culture around charitable giving in the arts, which desperately needs to change. People are more willing to fund institutions than they are independent artists. After all, when it comes to per capita spending on the arts, Georgia ranks near last in the country. When we look at public, private, and large individual gifts, they typically go to institutions that have six- and seven-figure operating budgets and sit on seven- and eight-figure real estate. These arts institutions pump blood into the heart of our city and they are valuable, but institutions are made up of individuals, and not all individuals are going to get into every institution.
There has to be healthy support for experimental, independent art making, too. After…
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